by Elizabeth McArthur
This week is National Op Shop Week and it’s the perfect reason to spring clean your wardrobe!
According to Do Something, the organisation behind Op Shop Week, donations to charity shops have been down lately. This is despite the fact that op shops seem to be more loved than ever right now as fashion lovers trawl the racks for that perfect no-one-else-has-it find.
Have you heard of the 20/80 rule of wardrobes? I hadn’t either before today. Basically, we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. The other 80% is just hanging there, untouched and eventually being discarded. You know the old saying, one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure?
But it’s more than just clothes that can be donated! A great tip from Do Something is to give your local op shops a call if you’re a bit unsure about what you’re donating.
The most important thing to remind ourselves is that op shops are not dumps. No matter how much you used to like that old pilled jumper or that white shirt that’s turned a weird shade of yellow it’s just not sellable and it’s going to end up in landfill.
Most op shops are run by charities and they spend a huge amount of time and resources sorting through junk and sending it to landfill. So when you’re doing your spring clean have a think about your quality clothes that you just aren’t getting any wear out of.
When it comes to those old items that can’t be donated why not have a think about upcycling? We have a few ideas for fun upcycling projects on our blog.
When 1 Million Women looked in to the way we buy and use clothes we found out that Australians collectively spend over $12 billion a year on more than a billion fashion items, but discarded clothing makes up 4-5% of waste going into our landfills!
For some more spring cleaning tips from 1 Million Women:
- Why not host a clothing swap? Give away what you don’t need and gain something new
- Vinegar is a sustainable way to get rid of stains and clean bathrooms
- Baking soda is great for lots of things including cleaning your shower curtain
- We have some simple tips for cleaning and caring for your clothes in a sustainable way
Don’t forget to head over to the 1MW website for information on taking action against dangerous climate change! We are daughters, mothers, sisters and grandmothers getting on with practical climate action to live better for us and the planet. Join the movement at www.1millionwomen.com.au
1 Million Women 